Hundreds of needy elders get free health check-ups

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health (MoH) along with the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) and Hong Ngoc General Hospital provided free health check-ups and medicines for 200 poor patients, including old people, in Hanoi’s Phuc Tho district on December 15.

Director of Hong Ngoc General Hospital Cao Doc Lap said the charitable activity aims to help needy patients gain access to international medical equipment.

He revealed that the hospital will continue to coordinate with leading experts from the US to conduct the 4th surgery for children with congenital deformities.

The examination is in response to the national action month on population and Vietnam ’s Population Day (December 26) themed “Community join hands to take care of the elderly”.

On December 16, the MoH and KCOMWEL will hold a workshop to share information in medical technology as part of the project supporting the development of health sector in Asian countries.

The panels are expected to share strategic cooperation opportunities between Vietnamese and Korean hospitals in improving public healthcare services.

According to the United Nations, Vietnam is the 13th most populous in the world and eighth in Asia , with rapid aging population. The ratio of old people increased quickly to 10.5 percent in 2013 from 7.1 percent in 1989.

The country has entered the aging period since 2011, six years quicker than estimated. It might take about 20 years for Vietnam to transfer from an aging population to an aged one.

Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan said the number of people aged above 60 years will make up 18.3 percent of the national population by 2030, doubling that of present.

According to the latest national population survey, only 4.8 percent of elderly Vietnamese enjoy good or very good health, while as many as 65.4 percent are weak or very weak. More worrisome, their access to health care services is limited as 26.1 percent do not hold any kind of health insurance and more than 51 percent cannot afford treatment costs – which are 7-10 times that of youngsters.-VNA